inspired women magazine JAN / FEB 2013
26
is my heart feeling and why? I might be feeling anxious, lonely, disappointed, jealous or any number of emotions and it’s important to discern which one it is, so that I can deal with it appropriately. Most emotions are symptomatic of either a deeper need that isn’t being met, or the result of us believing something that isn’t true. For example, if we’re feeling like we’ve been ripped off or that God has let us down because we’re not married, we may have an underlying belief that marriage is something that we are entitled to, deserve or can bargain with God for. Jealousy might reveal to us that we are believing that the grass is greener on the married side and that a husband would be the solution to all of our problems. Overwhelming loneliness might be a signal to us that there are places in our hearts or minds that aren’t being ‘heard’ by anyone in our life and that we might need to go on a journey towards greater vulnerability in those areas. We’re all going be feeling different things, and most likely there will be different reasons for each of us hiding at the bottom of it all. Whatever it is we discover, the best thing to do is to take it to Jesus. I know that in the midst of a crisis this can sound frustratingly clichéd, but what we all need to remember is that no matter what we are feeling, God is good. Really, really good. He loves us an immeasurable amount and always has our best interests at heart. And, he promises to not only exchange our heavy burden’s for light ones, but to make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). In light of all that, he really is the best place to go with a problem. My conversation with God usually looks a little like this, “God, I know you’re good, and I know that you love me more than I could imagine, but right now I don’t feel loved, I’m feeling (insert appropriate emotion here)! Can you show me what your truth is in this situation and how you are working this together for my good?” I’ve found Him to be so faithful. Over the years and through the breakdowns the Lord has revealed His truth and plans to me, showed me lies that I have been believing and realigned my perspectives in so many ways. Was it always what
I wanted to hear? Nope. Did he ever tell me when I was going to get married or to whom? Sadly not. But he has, time and time again generously exchanged my anxiety for his peace, my hurt for his love, my feeling of rejection for his promises of protection. Sometimes, it’s a quick fix and I feel better immediately, and other times it’s been a process where I’ve needed to daily remind myself of the truths that He’s speaking into my circumstance until they become a reality to me. And what was the result of my most recent single-crisis? This time, I wasn’t believing any massive lies and I think my heart was in a fairly healthy place, but what I did need was a hug. A big, fat, everything-is-going-to-be-ok type of hug from my heavenly Daddy. And that’s what He gave me. Taryn is the author of Bus Stops & Bicycles, A Handbook for Single Ladies. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Taryn now resides in Northern California whereshe is spending her time studying, writing and learning to be more like Jesus. She has a passion to see people living full and free lives and loves to find create ways to communicate the truth of who Jesus is today. www.tarynrose.com.au Twitter: @taryn_rose